Culture Works Seeks Arts Supporters to Serve on Grant Panels for NEA-Funded Program

Culture Works seeks community members with knowledge of and passion for the arts to serve on the grant panels that will select recipients for Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grants. These unique grants are intended to support jobs in the arts sector, keep the doors open to arts organizations in our community, and assist the field in its response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding opportunity is made possible by a one-time $500,000 grant to Culture Works—the Dayton Region’s arts funding, advocacy, and service organization—from the National Endowment for the Arts’ American Rescue Plan (ARP) Subgranting program.

Culture Works will award up to $350,000 to area nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and up to $100,000 to individual artists. Culture Works will retain $50,000 to cover the costs of grant administration. Eligible organizations can request grants of up to $15,000 in general operating support, and individual artists can request up to $5,000 in project support.

Independent grant panels of community members will review and score applications and select funding recipients. Panelists are selected based on their knowledge of and involvement in the arts, business and nonprofit management, and the community. Each Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant panel will be composed of 5-8 members who independently evaluate applications from organizations and individual artists before coming together as a group to discuss their findings and make funding recommendations. The panel review process will occur in August and September 2022, and panelists can expect to spend a maximum of 50 hours on the review process.

Program Timeline:

• July 1, 2022 – Culture Works begins accepting funding applications from organizations and individual artists
• August 5, 2022 – Deadline for organizations and individual artists to apply
• Mid-August – Grant panelists receive applications and begin independent review online
• Mid-September – Grant panelists convene for virtual, public panel meetings to discuss applications and make funding recommendations

Community members who are interested in panel service are invited to submit a resumé and Grant Panelist Self-Nomination Form to Hannah Gregory, Culture Works Grantmaking Associate, at hgregory@cultureworks.org.  Applications for panel service will be accepted through Friday, July 15, 2022.

Being a grant panelist provides an opportunity to learn more about the local arts community and to become engaged in making important decisions regarding financial support of the arts in the Dayton Region. Prior panelists report that they enjoyed having the opportunity to network with fellow panelists, all of whom share an interest in the arts.

For more information about the Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant, visit cultureworks.org. Questions? Contact Karen Maner, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking, at kmaner@cultureworks.org.

ABOUT CULTURE WORKS
Culture Works is the funding, advocacy, and service organization that passionately inspires, supports, and sustains arts and culture in the Dayton Region. As the united arts fund and arts service agency for the Dayton Region, Culture Works believes that creating and maintaining a vibrant and attractive community filled with quality arts brings measurable and immeasurable value to our citizens. From providing inspiring educational opportunities for our children, to attracting and retaining employees in our region, to adding beauty and entertainment to our lives, arts and culture reflect all the best and most beautiful parts of who we are.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA)
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which grants to nonprofit organizations, creative writers and translators, state arts agencies, and regional arts organizations in support of arts projects across the country. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.